The most exclusive dating website for "beautiful" men and women has dumped 30,000 "ugly" people who flew under the radar after a computer virus –-aptly titled the Shrek virus— accepted their applications despite their "ugliness":

Last month Beautifulpeople.com was the victim of a cyber attack in which the Shrek virus — named after the ugly animated character — attacked the software used to screen applicants, allowing an influx of new members, The Guardian reported.

Unfortunately several thousand of those members failed to meet the Denmark-based site's aesthetic standards, and have now been dropped.

Apparently, people are taking the rejection to heart because the website has set up a "counseling helpline" to ease the pain that comes along with having a dating website tell you you're hot and then turn around and saying you're not.

But you can't blame Beautifulpeople.com, guurrrl. You knew what Beautifulpeople.com was when you met!

Kind of an asshole:

"We have to stick to our founding principles of only accepting beautiful people — that's what our members have paid for," BeautifulPeople.com's Greg Hodge told The Guardian. "We can't just sweep 30,000 ugly people under the carpet."

The website works on a system under which members are able to rank applicants on a beauty scale. The decision to reject 30,000 cost the company more than US$100,000 in refunds and Hodge sent a regretful email to the distressed dumpees.

Basically, Beautifulpeople.com feels that it's better to lose an easy $100,000, set up a rejection hotline for the people they rejected, and devote countless hours to the removal and counsel of these folks than it would be to admit people who may not fit their standard definition of Danish-style beauty (and love of super sexy presumably Danish lions, judging from the screengrab above).

You could say a lot about this website, but if nothing else, they have their brand and they're sticking to it.